Hacking through Doubts
by SeraphJewel
Summary: Michael has feelings for Robin, but an unwelcome comment from Dojima leads the hacker to doubt if he even has a chance.


Disclaimer: Do not own Witch Hunter Robin or any of its characters. Do own the season on DVD.

**Hacking through Doubt**

He never imagined he would actually enjoy being in this place. Sure he had gotten used to the routine, but it had never gotten to the point of enjoyment. Who in their right mind would enjoy being imprisoned, anyway? But recently, he had a reason to genuinely smile. Something-or rather, someone, had come into his life that made being here a lot more bearable. He found himself doing his work with more enthusiasm, and always jumped at the chance to help her out.

"Good morning, Michael." He blinked, pulling rather abruptly out of his daydream. Robin was standing in front of him, smiling in her quiet way. He felt his face get warm under her emerald gaze and had to stare at his screen for a few minutes to pull himself together.

"Good morning, Robin."

"What are you working on?" she asked, leaning over to glance at the screen. His fingers forgot what they were supposed to be doing. He glanced up at her. _Do something! Say something!_ But as usual when she was around, he could think of nothing good to say.

"Oh, it's just some backlog." _Don't talk about work!_ Unfortunately, it was the only thing he knew to talk about. "It's been piling up, so I've been going through it and trying to organize it a little."

"Are there any new cases today?"

"Not yet, but the day's still young." He smiled up at her, and for a brief moment their eyes met. This was his chance to give her a hint of his feelings. He cleared his throat and took a steady breath.

"Michael." He sighed, reluctantly turning away from Robin.

"What's up, Amon?"

"I'm heading out for a while. Call me if anything comes up." He wasn't too surprised at the instructions. Whenever there wasn't something to do, Amon often wandered off to do his own thing.

"Sure thing." Robin had drifted away from Michael and was now gazing at Amon with an eager expression on her face.

"Amon, can I come too?" He glanced at her thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded his head.

"Why not?" A look of delight swept over her. Michael noticed, and glared at his computer screen. Anger and jealousy stewed together inside him. He could never make her smile like that. "I'm leaving, so you'd better hurry if you're coming, Robin."

"All right. See you later, Michael."

"Yeah," he replied half-heartedly. He stared at the screen until the image blurred in front of his eyes. He could hear them walking to the elevator and the whirr of the machine, but he would not watch. It was all he could think of to do.

He felt so frustrated at himself. He had the perfect opportunity to talk to her, to say _anything_, and he had let it pass. Somehow it happened every single time. Then he thought of Amon, and jealousy flared up again. All Amon had to do was be in the room and he would get Robin's attention. Of course Amon had that sort of presence that demanded everyone's attention, but it still hurt at how easily he distracted Robin.

"Hey, earth to Michael! Come on, whatever you're doing can't be _that_ interesting!" He sighed, pulling his eyes away from the screen to glance up at Miss Dojima. "You know what they say: all work and no play makes Michael a dull boy!" she teased, wagging her finger at him.

"Right," he said, pushing his chair away from the computer.

"That's much better! So, what do you think about Mr. and Mrs. Amon?"

"What!" he cried in surprise. Miss Dojima was known to be blunt, but that little comment was too much for him. The girl frowned, puzzled at his distress.

"What? I was just saying that Robin and Amon sure hang out a lot."

"They're partners, Miss Dojima. They're supposed to hang out a lot." She smiled, pulling up a chair next to him. He pretended to go back to work, but it was no use.

"Well, _sure_, they're partners. But so are Sakaki and Karasuma, and you don't see Sakaki jumping at the chance to be with _his_ partner!" Michael didn't respond. She had a good point, and he started to worry if maybe there was some truth in it. He sighed, turning to face her again.

"What are you suggesting, Miss Dojima?"

"Maybe there's more between them than meets the eye," she answered with a shrug. "After all, she's always asking where he is when he's not here, and she always wants to be with him when he _is_ here. You just gotta put the pieces together!" He closed his eyes, wishing she would just go away. But it was too late to take back her words, and he was starting to think that maybe… she was right.

"Dojima, what are you doing! Stop slacking off and get to work." Michael smiled, thanking the chief silently for saving him from any more of this.

"Oh, man," grumbled Dojima, reluctantly getting to her feet.

He was left alone again with his thoughts. And thanks to Miss Dojima, they were not all pleasant ones. The worst thing was that what she said made sense. Robin _did_ always seem interested in spending time with Amon. Michael now recalled several instances where she asked about him or went out of her way to be with him. He hadn't thought anything of it before, but then again, he hadn't wanted to think of Robin having any interest in anybody other than himself.

And really, why wouldn't Robin be interested in Amon? He was so cool and confident, independent, and good looking. He was everything Michael wasn't. More than that, he could take Robin driving and do all sorts of things with her. The best Michael could do was order something, or share doughnuts with her. He couldn't even walk her to her Vespa because he was stuck here. Michael had absolutely nothing he could offer her; Amon could offer her everything.

"I may be a genius hacker, but I'm a complete _idiot_ when it comes to love," he sighed to himself. He plugged himself even deeper in his work to escape from his problems, if only for a moment.

-

Michael was more closed up than ever. His music blared in his ears almost nonstop, and he refrained from speaking to the others unless he simply had to. Everyone but Robin knew that this was just his way of dealing with distress. Though why he was feeling that way was another question. Sakaki and Dojima tried to pull him out of it enough to talk to them, but he just turned his music up louder and continued working.

What bothered him most about this whole mess was that Robin was the only girl he had ever felt this way about. He had gotten so close to her, and now it seemed it was all gone. She wasn't even coming to bring him doughnuts at night anymore. He had felt pain before, and loss, but never like this. So he did the only thing he knew to do: he retreated into his own little world.

Three days passed, the slowest days Michael had ever experienced inside the STNJ. He wasn't getting much sleep, because whenever he slept, all he could dream about was Robin and Amon driving off together and leaving him standing helplessly. Work was the only thing that relaxed him.

He could feel someone lightly shake him. Groggily he lifted his head, getting a jolt of shock when he noticed the time. He had overslept; the chief was probably hopping mad. He got another shock when he noticed it was Robin that had woken him up. He blushed, searching desperately for anything to focus on. The idea that she was interested in Amon made him feel even more awkward around her than usual.

"Michael, are you all right?" she asked softly.

"Not really," he answered truthfully, slipping his fingers under his glasses to rub his weary eyes. Robin sat down so they were at eye level.

"Please talk to me. You've been ignoring us for three days. What's troubling you?" He sighed, knowing he couldn't lie to her.

"I lost something before I even had it. It hurts to lose y… the thing, but it hurts more to know that I can _never_ have… the thing." Not even now, when he was so sure Robin had feelings for another, could he express himself. "I feel mad at myself for being so stupid, and a little angry at Amon."

"Amon?" Robin echoed in surprise. He cringed, too late to take it back.

"Uh… it's nothing. Forget I said that." There was heavy silence for a moment. _If I told her now, would it make a difference?_ Robin quietly watched him thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you," she said suddenly. "You've just been so distant lately that I wasn't sure you would want company. But if you like, I'll come by tonight and bring doughnuts." The offer came as a surprise to him. She still wanted to spend time with him?

"But… what about Amon?"

"Amon?" She frowned in confusion. "What does he have to do with it?"

"Well…" The question caught him off guard. "Isn't he… I mean, aren't you…?" Comprehension dawned on her face. She shook her head, smiling at him gently.

"No, Michael. I never thought of him as anything more than my partner."

"Oh," was all he could say. He felt more stupid than ever, but that feeling quickly passed and he was left with relief… and joy. He still had a chance after all! If only he had the courage to take it. "So… will you come tonight?" She gave him a bright smile.

"I would love to."

"But Robin, I can't give you anything," he said helplessly. He held out his empty hands. "All I have… is me."

"That's all I have, too," she told him, slipping her hand into his.


End file.
